AmateurRadio.in

Technical enough for "nerdy, geeky people like myself," according to Sandy Springs resident Mike Cohen, call sign AD4MC, old-school enough to prevail when more vulnerable systems fail or overload, amateur radio stations number about 630,000 in the U.S. About 240 of those station operators, called hams, belong to the Roswell-based North Fulton Amateur Radio League, formed in 1975. "The club features a variety of activities to appeal to the widest range of amateur radio interests," league president John Tramontanis, N4TOL, said in a statement. "We seek to help every member grow in their skills and enjoyment of the hobby." The league holds or attends events like Ham Cram, Ham Jam and Hamvention. "We invite every ham and newcomer to the hobby to visit the friendliest club in the area," Tramontanis said. "Our sister club, the North Fulton [Amateur Radio Emergency Service], serves the communities of Alpharetta, Roswell, Johns Creek and Sandy Springs." The sister club, which began in late 2005 around the time of Sandy Springs cityhood and meets at Sandy Springs City Hall, has a roster of about 10 percent of the main club's membership. "The only reason the two groups are separate is ARES has to be certified with the Federal Emergency Management Agency," said Tom Koch, W4UOC. "We train to support 31 agencies."
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New York state residents are becoming less vain and less willing to flaunt their professions or favorite causes. At least that's the case if you judge by their license plates. The state saw a sharp drop-off last year in the number of New Yorkers buying vanity or custom plates. In 2009, 41,146 New Yorkers paid extra for a special plate. A year later, the number dropped slightly to 41,040. Scott Haller of East Greenbush promotes his love for ham radio with a logo on his plate, and the numbers and letters are his call sign. "I'm proud to be a ham radio operator," he said. The plate lets him contact others who share his interest and he enjoys chatting over a mobile radio after spotting people with similar plates. On a drive to Elmira, he said, he spoke for 20 minutes with a fellow enthusiast from Colorado he'd seen on the road. The DMV's Cantiello said it is hard to say exactly how much the drop in vanity and custom plates is costing the state because the prices vary. The ham radio plates are among the least expensive, $35 upfront with a $6.25 annual renewal fee. Supporting your favorite sports team costs $60 upfront and $31.25 each year.
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